edmonds – you should check out the ortlieb bar bags, they detach from the mount with a button press amd come with a shoulder strap, so very easy to take with you. Or, you can lock it to the bike. The top is held closed with magnets so it is easy to get into. Not quite as big as a basket – although they do have a “large” one I haven’t seen, I have the medium.

Thx!
I am currently searching for a thing called a “rackaleur”. It’s a thick wire support that everybody and their grannies put their TA and Berthoud handlebar bags on back in the day. Orange Velo made some repros for a while but apparently they didn’t sell :( So now there are none on the planet. If anyone finds one in their biking grannies’ basement I will immediately take it off their hands.

About brakes: I have BB5s on my ride. Much more reliable than the rim brakes on the old bike. My only complaint is that I’m on my 3rd set of rear pads in 2,000 miles, 2nd on the front. Maybe this is normal & I should just buy a set ahead & carry them with me.

There are different pad compounds out there, are you using the same brand each time? You should be able to find something with more longevity with a marginal cost to grip/performance/noise. KoolStop makes an alternative to the factory replacements.

@StuInMcCandless
Next time, make sure you get metallic or sintered pads. In my experience (3 sets of BB7’s on 3 diff. bikes) they last at least twice as long. I am switching my mtb to hydraulics, can’t wait for springtime!

I am still on my original set of bb7 pads after 3-4k, and last I adjusted them there was still a fair bit left – so that sounds excessive, Stu… It also seems odd the rear would wear faster than the front.

I have semi-organic pads on my cross bike, I find that they are more succeptable to contamination. I get the bike sloppy / dirty about every time I ride it, it’s a cross bike, I ride it on dirt. I can still stop, but I feel like the braking is a bit uneven feeling when the rotors are dirty. It’s a bit easier to feather the brakes to slow down, but trying to stop is like using rim brakes on an wheel that is out of true.

On the other hand, I barely take care of my mountain bike besides adding more lube to the chain every now and then. I get that thing muddy and wet all the time and never really have to mess with the brakes besides adjusting to compensate for wear.

I’m switching to sintered pads if I can find them for Hayes CX-5 brakes.